Prepared
by cautiousAlbatross
Summary: Even the best preparation can leave surprises, especially when it comes to seduction.


Your name is Dave Strider, and today's the day you tell John Egbert how you _really_ feel about him.

You've been waiting for a long time to do this, to let him know, but now you think you're finally ready. You figure that, as confessions of love to best friends go, this will probably be a good one. You rented one of his favourite movies – Con Air – and bought popcorn and everything. Probably too much popcorn, actually, but you don't want to run out.

By the time John arrives at your place, the DVD is set up and ready to go, and you have four bowls of popcorn waiting in the kitchen. You take the fifth bowl with you as you go to answer the door.

"Hey, dude," you say, holding out the bowl of popcorn.

"Hey," he says, grinning and taking a large handful.

He walks in, shoving the whole handful into his mouth and kicking off his shoes, and you're suddenly glad you got so much popcorn.

"The movie's all ready," you say, following him into the living room and flicking off the light.

"Great!" he says, somehow managing to sound genuinely enthusiastic, "You're the best."

"It's all in the job description," you say, flopping down on the sofa next to him.

You offer him more popcorn and press play, thinking John is lucky you love him enough to watch this awful movie with him.

You know John well enough to know his exact reaction to each scene, and he knows the movie well enough to recite every line. By the final scene, you're on the last bowl of popcorn, and John is weeping openly. You wonder how long it is until he realises this movie is actually genuinely awful.

"Well, that's still the shittiest movie I've ever seen," you say, turning off the television.

"Get out," he says, elbowing you, "You've obviously not seen enough movies."

"I'm prepared to admit that there are probably worse movies that I haven't seen, and that you probably love them as well."

"My taste in film is sublime."

"Your taste is awful," you say, edging slightly closer to him in the dark, preparing to make your move.

"Is not," he says, turning to face you and sticking his tongue out.

"Is too."

You can just about make out his face in the dark, the lenses of his glasses reflecting the light from the kitchen door. You think you could probably see better if you weren't wearing your sunglasses, but refuse to take them off.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not."

Is it your imagination, or is he moving towards you?

"Your taste is terrible and you know it," you say, shifting almost imperceptibly closer to him.

"It's not so bad," he says.

You're so close now that your noses are almost touching, and you can feel his breath on your lips.

"Name one thing you have good taste in."

You wonder when would be a good time to kiss him. You wonder whether you should kiss him at all. Maybe you should say something first. Maybe you should ask him if he likes you like that.

"I have excellent taste in boys," he says, closing the distance between you and kissing you, taking you completely by surprise.

"Wait, what?" you ask, pulling away, then mentally cursing yourself for completely ruining the moment.

"Oh," he says, and even in the darkness, you can see him blushing, "I just thought- I mean, it seemed like... Oh, I'm so sorry! I've completely ruined this, haven't I?"

"You haven't ruined anything," you say, quickly grabbing his wrist and stopping him from leaving, "You just... took me by surprise, that's all."

"I'm so sorry," he repeats, refusing to look at you, "I thought you... you know, liked me... like that."

"I do," you say, lifting his chin with one hand, making him look you in the eye, "I just... I didn't know you felt the same. You just surprised me."  
"Oh!" he says, his eyes widening, "Sorry."

"It's fine," you say, slipping your hand back into his hair.

Gently, you tilt his head slightly, and lean in for a kiss. The moment is kind of ruined again as your shades collide with his glasses, and you sigh, taking them off and chucking them onto the table.

"This is ridiculous," you say, rolling your eyes, "And I had everything prepared, too."  
"You obviously weren't prepared for me to kiss you," he jokes, laughing.

You sigh again.

"This is what happens when you try to plan out the seduction of your best friend."

"Leave the seducing up to me," he says, slipping his hands around your waist and climbing into your lap, his knees on either side of you.

You're about to say something suitably sarcastic, but he stops you with a kiss. Among the many things you weren't prepared for, his skill when it comes to kissing ranks pretty highly. It feels like he knows what he's doing, and part of you wonders why that is. You wonder who else John Egbert has been kissing.

"Hey," you say, pulling away.

"Stop that," he says, sounding annoyed.

He kisses you again before you can go on. You decide that your question can wait till later.

You make out in the dark for a long time. Among the many, many things you weren't prepared for that day, the possibility that you'd be kissing John for so long is something that never even crossed your mind. Being prepared, you decide, is definitely overrated.


End file.
